Talking to the Past
by SkyGem
Summary: Sasagawa Shun has an assignment for class in which he has to exchange emails with an alumnus of Nami-chuu. When he finds out that his new pen pal is a mafia boss, he's intrigued; when he finds out how he was betrayed by...Full summary inside. Four-shot.
1. Alumnus san

Summary: Sasagawa Shun has an assignment for class in which he has to exchange emails with an alumnus of Nami-chuu. When he finds out that his new pen pal is a mafia boss, he's intrigued; when he finds out how he was betrayed by his wife, he sympathizes; when he finds out the man is his father, his whole world is turned upside down. Three-shot.

SkyGem: I know, you guys don't like Kyoko and yeah, this will be a bit OOC on her part (which of my fics aren't at least a little OOC?), but she's the only person I could think of that would work for this. I hope you enjoy, ne?

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.

* * *

"Tadaima!" called Sasagawa Shunpei as he slipped off his shoes.

"Ojamashimasu!" was what his best friend, Kaoru Kukai, said.

Moments later, Shun's mother, Sasagawa Kyoko, came in, drying her hands on a towel, a sweet smile on her face.

"Okaeri," she said, and just like every time, Kukai was shocked at how his best friend's face changed as he returned his mother's smile. The delinquent's normally emotionless face softened with a smile almost as beautiful as his mother's, and his eyes danced with loved and kindness instead of cold uncaring.

"Why don't you two boys go on upstairs, ne? I'll bring snacks up for you in a few minutes!" the Sasagawa matriarch told them kindly, and Shun nodded once before turning to head up to his room.

Upon getting there, Shun threw himself down in front of his desktop, turning it on, and Kukai slipped out his laptop, his previously content mood now distinctly disgruntled.

"I don't know why we have to do this stupid assignment. I mean, who cares about a bunch of old guys that used to go to our school more than twenty years ago?"

Shun, who was reading his assignment over again, looked up at his friend for a second to say, "Urusai."

The boy immediately shut up, albeit with a slight glare, and Shun turned his eyes back to his assignment sheet.

_Objective: You are to exchange a minimum of __ 5 __ emails with the alumnus assigned to you regarding how Namimori was like when they still went to school here and write a five paragraph essay on the changes and how their schooling helped them get to where they are now._

_Remember:_

_- Do not __exchange full names during this assignment; this is supposed to remain anonymous. Whether you do so after the assignment is your choice._

_- You may choose to focus either on the academic or personal aspect of their school life depending on what they feel inclined to share with you._

_- These people are your elders, so show them some respect, and don't expect them to answer immediately; they have families and lives of their own._

_- If there are any disagreements or difficulties, talk to your teacher immediately and they will sort it out as best they can._

_Due Date: [Some random date]_

_Email address: tunafish27 *_

Letting out a snort of laughter at the ridiculous email address, Shun turned back to his desktop to begin composing his email.

_From: ssshun33  
To: tunafish27  
Subject: School assignment_

_Konnichiwa Alumnus-san. My name is Shun and I'm currently a second year student at Namimori-chuu. You probably already know the purpose of this assignment, so I won't explain it to you, but I was wondering whether you would be comfortable telling me about the personal aspect of your school life? Please reply as soon as possible. Arigatou gozaimasu!_

Shun reread the email again and, seeing that there were no mistakes, was about to send it when there was a snort of laughter from behind him.

Turning around to glare at his best friend, who had come to stand behind him and read the email over his shoulder, he asked, "What's so funny?"

Kukai just laughed again, asking, "And since when have you been so polite, mister 'I'm-so-dangerous-everyone-in-the-school-is-terrified-of-me'?"

"Urusai!" repeated Shun, annoyed. "This guy has our sensei's contact information and can tell her about it if I do anything out of line. Anyways, my okaa-san has raised me to respect my elders, which, unfortunately, can't be said for some people in this room!"

Kukai merely laughed at this and ruffled his much taller friend's hair, saying, "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. It's still weird, though."

And at just that moment, the door opened to let in Kyoko with a tray of sweets and two cups of tea.

Immediately, Kukai's face lit up with glee and he went over to where Kyoko had placed the tray and practically attacked it before saying with his cheeks full, "Arigatou, Sasagawa-san!"

"No problem, sweetheart. Call me if you two need more, ne?"

And with that, she was gone.

Shaking his head in amusement at his friend's gluttony, Shun went over to get his cup of tea, but ignored the sweets; he'd never really liked sweet stuff.

As he went to sit back in front of his computer, ready to move on to more interesting stuff now that his homework, the teen was surprised to see that in the ten minutes since he'd sent the email, he'd already gotten a reply.

Ignoring Kukai, he opened the email, slightly curious as to what this person was like.

_From: tunafish27  
To: ssshun33  
Subject: RE: School assignment_

_Hello there, Shun-kun. I know I'm probably old enough to be your father, but you don't need to be so formal. You can just call me Tsuna, and I went to Nami-chuu around…twenty-two years ago. I know, shocking isn't, it? I'm so old! But anyways, before we get started, you should know that I live in Italy, and we're seven hours behind Japan, so anything sent before two o'clock your time will have to wait to be answered. Sometime after your school day is probably the best, because that's when I'll be working at my computer and will be able to reply the fastest._

_Now, on to the more important stuff. Yes, I'm completely fine with telling you about my personal experience at that school; ask me any questions you want, and I'll answer them to the best of my abilities. Ciao, my new amico._

Kukai, who had come finally finished devouring all the sweets, came up behind Shun to see what he was staring at.

Once reading the whole email over, Kukai whined, "Aww, that's not fair! Why do you get someone cool who lives in Italy? He probably has loads of cool stuff to tell you!"

Shun just smirked at his friend and turned back to start composing a reply; he felt that he'd really like this guy.

_From: ssshun33  
To:tunafish27  
Subject: RE: School assignment_

_Arigatou, Tsuna-san, for agreeing to tell me about your personal life, and for replying so quickly. For my essay, I plan on focusing on the disciplinary committee, how the teachers treated the students, and what the sports teams were like, so would you mind telling me anything you know about those three things? Arigatou again. Ja ne._

Kukai stared incredulously, asking, "The disciplinary committee? That useless thing? Why would you want to know about that?"

Shun just smirked as he leaned back in his chair, saying, "I'd heard a rumor that it was completely different in my mom's time, but she refuses to tell me anything about it. Now we get to see if that rumor is true."

* * *

* I didn't put the [at] part because otherwise it wouldn't show, so just imagine that part for yourself.

SkyGem: Well, that's the first chapter. I know I shouldn't be starting a new fic, but this will definitely be a short one, okay? Two or three more chapters, probably done within the next two weeks. I promise. And the next chapter will be an extra long one (hopefully). Anyways, let me know what you thought, ne? Ciao!


	2. Please Help Me?

Shun was a little disappointed when he still hadn't gotten a reply to his email by the time he had to turn in for the night, but he supposed it was to be expected; Tsuna was an adult after all, and he did have a life.

The next day, though, when he returned from school, and saw that he'd gotten an answer, he opened the email and was extremely shocked as he skimmed over the first paragraph. The thing was freaking huge!

_From: tunafish27  
To: ssshun33  
Subject: RE: School assignment_

_Sorry it took so long to reply, Shun-kun, but those three topics you chose were probably the ones I know the most about, so you're in luck! Now, first is the disciplinary committee. I swear, I could go on for days and days about them. In our time, they were the most feared form of law enforcement, and not only in school, but in all of Namimori. Weird, isn't it? Well, the guy who was in charge during my time there, we'll just call him Kyo-kun-_

Upon reading this, an image of steely grey eyes flashed across Shun's mind, a pair of eyes that would have made anyone shiver in fear, but that gave him a sense of safety for some odd reason. Where had that come from? Maybe an overactive imagination? Or possibly…a buried memory? Shaking his head, he decided to go back to reading. What he'd found out so far was shocking to say the least.

_-since I can't tell you his full name; but anyways, Kyo-kun took his job __**very**__ seriously. He was actually a third year when I was a first year, but for some odd reason, he didn't want to leave the school…Kyo-kun was extremely attached to the school and to the town, so whenever there was a threat, he would go and try to take care of it himself._

After that, it went on to talk about the many times 'Kyo-kun' had 'bitten people to death,' and Shun couldn't help the snort of amusement when he compared the disciplinary committee of that time to the one of his time. The differences were huge, and Shun couldn't help but wonder what would happen if 'Kyo-kun' were to find out what had happened to his precious committee; he'd probably fly straight back to the school and proceed to beat the present committee to death before harshly training them to a 'presentable' strength. Little did the young Sasagawa know how right he was.

After he finished reading about the disciplinary committee, Shun eagerly turned to the next paragraph about the teachers. He was finding it incredibly entertaining, learning about how different the school had been, and even with this next part, he wasn't disappointed.

_Next, I supposed I'll tell you about the teachers. Now, first thing I want to say, most of the teachers were pretty okay, although they could have worked harder. Rather than giving extra help to those students who weren't doing well, they belittled and ignored them, which, of course didn't help a bit. The worst, though, was the science teacher, Nezu-sensei._

Shun's eyes widened with shock when he read Nezu-sensei's name; that old fart had been teaching at Nami-chuu for so long?

_I know I shouldn't be talking bad about others, but that man is the kind I hate most; he's spiteful, hates children, and a chronic liar. Does he still brag about going to a first-rate university? Well, when we were in first year, my friends and I found out that he was lying._

As he read about the incident with the time capsule and uncovering Nezu-sensei's bad tests from when he was a student at Nami-chuu, a slow, terrifying smile spread across Shun's face, the expression in his eyes downright unholy. Now this, this was something that he could totally use to his advantage. The principal from back then must have been an idiot not to fire the man, but now they had a different one, and Shun knew that she would definitely **not** tolerate this.

Whipping out his phone, Shun texted Kukai about the info he'd just learned, satisfied that, within minutes, the news would be spreading through town like wildfire. Kukai was a real social butterfly, and knew about half the school's population; though the only person he was **really** close to was Shun.

He was so cheerful and friendly all the time, it was a mystery to everyone but the two of them how he was so close to Shun, who was known as the ice king of their school. What most people didn't know, though, was that Kukai was actually an orphan that lived at the orphanage on the edge of town, and that Shun had saved him from a bunch of bullies on one of his visits to Namimori when he was seven, back when he didn't live in the small town. When he had moved there three years later, the two had been reunited, and Kukai had all but permanently attached himself to Shun.

Shaking off the memories with a fond smile on his face, Kukai turned back to the email.

_Wow, this email is really starting to get long, isn't it? Anyways, the last thing you asked about was sports teams, right? Well, I wasn't on any personally, but two of my best friends were. 'Take-kun' was the star of the baseball team-_

And again, just like when the disciplinary committee leader was mentioned, what seemed like a half-buried memory surfaced in Shun's mind. This time, he remembered phantom arms wrapped around his small body; he was sitting in someone's lap, but he couldn't see their eyes, all he saw was the bottom half of their face, their mouth stretched into an easy grin, his pudgy fingers tracing a scar in their chin. And then the memory faded away, and Shun was left staring at the email. Shaking his head, he refocused on the email.

_-and the captain of the boxing team was like an older brother figure to me, and I called him onii-san._

Right away, Shun felt himself pulled into yet another memory, this time he was clinging to someone's back, shrieking in delight as they ran at a fast pace, everything around him showing as a green blur. The back he was clinging to was well muscled, and the man had a head of short, white bleached hair. When Shun resurfaced this time, he was engulfed in an overwhelming sense of loss, and he had to blink away the tears that had gathered at the corners of his eyes.

Even though he didn't know why they were surfacing now, and even though he didn't recognize them, Shun immediately knew when they were from; they were from the childhood he'd forgotten.

Ever since an accident when he was only six-years-old, Shun had no memories whatsoever of the time before. He never asked his mother about that time, because he knew she didn't like to think of it, and she never volunteered any information.

Which was why it should come as no surprise that, even though they made him feel so frustrated and lonely, there was a part of Shun that craved these memories, that wanted to see more of them.

After a few more minutes, Shun shook himself out of it and continued to read the email. Despite his slight depression, he was soon engrossed in it again as read tales about the different games and matches that Tsuna-san had witnessed and about the EXTREME-ness of the boxing club captain.

By the time Shun finished reading the email, he already had a few pages of notes and quite a few questions to ask of Tsuna-san.

* * *

A certain Sawada Tsunayoshi hummed contently to himself as he sat at his desk in his office in the Vongola HQ, turning on his desktop to check his email.

It had now been two weeks since he'd started exchanging emails with that second year from Nami-chuu, and he was grateful that he had agreed to it.

When Tsuna had gotten information about this project, and learned about how they were looking for people to lend their time, he had been a reluctant, but had agreed. And when he'd gotten that first email from Shun, he'd almost forgotten to breathe; he'd been reminded of his own little Shunpei, who should have been old enough to be in his second year of junior high right about now. Not that there was any way that this Shun could be his long lost son; but for a second, he had entertained the thought.

As he was waiting for his webpage to open, there was a knock at the Decimo's door, and he called, "Come in!"

There was a moment's hesitation before it was opened slightly, and in walked a girl about thirteen-years-old with long, waist-length silver hair and sparkling green eyes, a tearful three-year-old resting against her right hip.

Feeling a smile creep onto his face, Tsuna greeted her, "Hello there, my little one. Is there something you need?"

The girl, who had, thankfully, inherited more of her mother's personality than her father's, smiled apologetically in reply before saying, "I'm sorry, uncle Tsuna, I know dad tells me not to bother you while you're working, but little Gio here misses his daddy, and auntie couldn't get him to calm down."

Turning his eyes on the child in her arms, who was stretching towards him, Tsuna smiled at his little pride and joy and got up to gather him in his arms.

"Well, Giotto has been naughty, hasn't he? Giotto hasn't let mama give him his bath yet, has he?"

The little blond just blinked cutely up at him, the very picture of innocence, and Tsuna let out a laugh, shaking his head in exasperation.

Turning back to his best friend's daughter, Tsuna smiled and placed a peck on her forehead, saying, "Thanks for bringing him here, Isa. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him."

Isa nodded agreement before turning and skipping out of his office to find a certain rain guardian's daughter, saying bye to her uncle before she left.

Once she was gone, Tsuna carried his son over to his desk, and sat down again, putting Giotto in his lap.

"Okay," he said to the toddler, "You can stay with papa, Giotto, but you have to behave yourself, alright?"

Giotto just grinned up at him, showing off his tiny, pearly white teeth, and nodded quietly. Even though he could be quite mischievous sometimes, Tsuna's second son, who had come from his second marriage, was usually quite quiet, which was a vast different from his older brother, Shunpei, from Tsuna's first marriage with his sun guardian's younger sister.

Shunpei, whom Tsuna hadn't seen for almost eight years now, had been loud and energetic and hyper, always running around, and a day didn't go by that Tsuna didn't miss him; a day didn't go by where Tsuna didn't resent having been forced out of his son's life. Even though Tsuna loved his younger son dearly, there would always be a place in his heart reserved for his oldest.

Sighing, Tsuna pushed these depressing thoughts out of his head, and turned to see if he'd gotten a reply from Shun yet.

* * *

Shun was surprised, as always, at how fast Tsuna replied to his email. Even though he had finished his essay a few days ago, both he and Tsuna had decided to keep up contact, since they both enjoyed their conversations, and they still hadn't exchanged their full names.

Opening up the newest email, the brunet couldn't help the fond smile that came onto his face when he saw the first line.

_Hey, Shun-kun! Guess who's hear again! That's right, it's Giotto! And he wants to say hi to you!_

Even though Shun had only found out about Tsuna-san's son a few days ago, from all the stories Tsuna told him about the kid, he already had a fondness for the kid.

Tsuna truly seemed to adore his son, and Shun was happy for him; this man, of all people deserved happiness.

Shun had been completely shocked when he'd heard the story surrounding his new friend's first marriage, and he'd felt really sorry for Tsuna; he seemed like such an awesome guy. How could anyone do that to him?

Even now, the teen could recall the words of the email in which Tsuna had explained everything to him.

_My first wife had always been very naïve and innocent, so I really can't blame her for what happened. She had always disliked my job, so when another man came along, who was sweet and flattered her every chance he got and showered her with gifts, I guess I really shouldn't have been so surprised that she fell for him. To her credit, I can tell that she tried to remain loyal, but even after becoming a mother, there was still a part of her that remained as a child. She was a hopeless romantic, and I'd always known that._

_Even after that man had gone from her life, our marriage was already done. There was no way we could salvage it, so we decided to just get a divorce. I never held it against her. I understand, people change, and there's nothing that can be done about it. I would miss her, of course, but I wouldn't blame her for having fallen out of love with me._

_What I blame her for is something much, __**much**__ worse. After the divorce, I got custody of our then five-year-old son, and of course, I was willing to let her visit him. She came over to see him and spend time with him every weekend, and for a while, it seemed like everything would go okay. It seemed like we would be able to cooperate for the good of our son._

_But then, one weekend, she took him on a trip to the zoo, but she never came back. I had to call the police, of course, but when they got to her apartment, it was completely empty. I sent my men to search for them both, but I never saw my son again. I may have forgiven my ex-wife for wanting to divorce me, but I will never, ever be able to forgive her for making me miss my son's childhood._

Shun had been surprised, at the time, that Tsuna had been willing to tell all this to a teenager he didn't even know in real life, but he supposed that that was just proof of how close the two of them had gotten.

And now, here was more proof of how close they had gotten. Shun was about to ask the man for help on something he had never dared to ask anyone else. He was really starting to get desperate, and even though he knew that Tsuna probably wouldn't be able to do anything, it would help to at least have someone to talk to. Someone almost like…a father.

* * *

Tsuna was shocked, to say the least, when he saw Shun's next email. It started off as usual, asking how he was and telling him a bit about his day, but then, the email got a slightly desperate tone as Shun stated the following.

_Do you have any knowledge on the yakuza, Tsuna-san? I made some mistakes a few years back, and somehow got myself involved with a bad bunch. I've tried to leave a few times before, but they won't let me go, Tsuna-san; they threaten my okaa-san if I try. But I can't stay with them, Tsuna-san! What they're doing is wrong, and I really don't approve of it, I don't want to be a part of it, but what should I do? Do you have any ideas, Tsuna-san? Please. Anything can help._

It took Tsuna less than a second to decide to send some of his men over to Namimori to debate with whatever clan Shun was a part of (probably the Momokyokai) to let them go, and even before his mind registered what he was doing, his fingers had already began typing out a reply, telling Shun-kun to remain calm and that he would send help right away.

For this to work, though, Tsuna would need to know the name of the clan and Shun-kun's full name.

When he asked these simple questions, though, the Vongola Decimo had no idea about the shock he was in for, because when he got a reply back from Shun-kun, the name he saw was definitely not the one he had been expecting.

The teenager he had been talking to all this time had been none other than…

…Sasagawa Shunpei.

* * *

SkyGem: So, what did you think? Did it meet your expectations? I hope it wasn't too rushed or anything. But please do leave a review and tell me what you thought, ne? And I'll get the last chapter up as soon as possible! Ciao!

P.S. Just wondering, but what do you guys think about my naming sense? About my OCs, I mean. (Bianca, Alfeo, Masaharu, Shunpei, etc.). Are the names I come up with good? Do they fit the characters? Or are they just plain awkward? Please do let me know, ne?


	3. Miss Me?

SkyGem: Wow! This fic is doing a lot better than I thought it would! Thanks so much for all the reviews, minna-san! And some of you were wondering what Shunpei's name means, ne? It means "moment" or "instantly smooth." The meaning somehow fits him, doesn't it? Anyways, onto the story!

* * *

"Waah! No way! It's really him? I really get to meet the son you're always telling me about? I can't wait! Hehe, I wonder if he'll call me mama? Probably not, since his mother is still alive, but I can't wait! It'll be like having another son!"

Tsuna watched his wife gush over the news with a fond light dancing in his eyes; she seemed so excited, he didn't want to burst her bubble by telling her that there was a possibility that Shun wouldn't want to move to Italy to live with him.

But even if he didn't want to leave, Tsuna wouldn't just sit quietly. If Shun didn't want to move to Italy, he'd readily move to Japan, just to get custody of him.

Tsuna really didn't want to leave his son in his ex-wife's custody; she'd already proven that she wasn't responsible enough to raise a child when she had **kidnapped** Shunpei all those years ago.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Tsuna heard the sound of pounding footsteps approaching, and turned with a smile to the direction it was coming from, already knowing who it would be.

"Tsunayoshi! I'm here to the EXTREME! You said you needed to talk to me?" shouted the boxer, coming to an abrupt stop in front of the brunet just in time to avoid a collision.

"Onii-san," he greeted, "I have a special assignment for you."

Ryohei's expression turned confused when he heard these words. "I thought I wouldn't have any EXTREME missions until after my sons were born?" he asked.

Ryohei's wife was seven months pregnant with twins, and seeing as it was her first time, he had requested to not be sent anywhere that would keep him away from the base for more than a day.

"I know, onii-san," replied Tsuna, "but this mission is **really** special, and I really can't think of anyone other than you for it. At least just hear me out, ne? Then you can decide whether or not you want to go."

Ryohei looked a little dubious, but agreed to at least listen.

"Well, you know how I've been exchanging emails with that second year from Nami-chuu for the past two weeks?"

Ryohei nodded, his expression confused now.

"Well, it seems the boy is a part of the Momokyokai, but he wants to leave. And, as you would expect, that's not an easy task."

"And you want me to go help him?" asked Ryohei, receiving a nod from Tsuna. "But…why me?"

"Because, in order to help him leave, I had to ask him for his full name..."

Tsuna waited for a moment before he saw realization dawn on his older brother figure's face.

"You don't mean…"

He trailed off, and when he didn't continue, seemingly too shocked to speak, Tsuna finished his sentence for him.

"Sasagawa Shunpei," he said quietly, his eyes burning into Ryohei, the expression slightly desperate. "I can't leave until the day after tomorrow because of a meeting, but he needs help **right now**. I chose you to go because you're his uncle by blood, and this could give you a chance to see your sister again…I know you miss her."

Ryohei's expression hardened a little at the mention of his sister. "Of course I miss Kyoko, she's my little sister, and I'll always love her no matter what. But I love you just as much, Tsuna; it doesn't matter that we're not blood related. You're still my little brother, which is why I will never really be able to fully forgive her for what she did."

"But you still want to see her," said Tsuna, a small smile on his face. "So, are you going to go?"

Ryohei seemed to think for a moment before nodding, saying, "I'm sure Ai wouldn't mind my going for a few days."

Tsuna couldn't help but smile, both at his friend's nickname for his wife, and out of relief; if Ryohei was going, then there was nothing for him to worry about.

* * *

Shun was at a meeting at the base when it happened.

Their head was ranting about another clan encroaching on their territory when suddenly, someone burst in through the door, sweating and panting heavily and looking absolutely terrified.

"The…Vongola! They're…on their way…here!" he panted before collapsing onto his backside, trying to catch his breath.

Shun's eyes widened in complete shock when he heard the words that came out of his mouth. He'd heard the name Vongola before, of course even if he didn't know that much about them, but what the hell were they doing here in Japan? They were based in Italy!

The first thought to come into his mind was that maybe Tsuna-san had sent them, but he immediately banished that thought. Just because he lived in Italy, it didn't mean that he was involved in the mafia.

Before Shun could think any further on the subject, though, the sliding door was burst open, and in stormed a bunch of men in black suits, moving to take up positions against the wall, all around the room.

The Momokyokai guys were completely frozen, so caught up in watching the men in suits that had stormed into their base that they didn't even notice the man that seemed to be the leader enter the room and stop just a few paces inside.

Finally, though, all movement stopped as everyone noticed his presence, and Shun felt his heart skip a beat at the person he saw standing there.

He was a tall man with short, white bleached hair and a band-aid on his nose; he was wearing a neatly pressed black suit with a pastel yellow button-up shirt and a black tie.

Something about this man just looked so familiar, but for some reason, Shun couldn't remember why.

The man's eyes immediately found their clan leader and he watched him silently, obviously waiting for him to speak first.

Their leader then stood up and did something Shun had never seen him do; he pulled into a deep, ninety degree bow.

"Welcome to our humble abode, Vongola-san. Is there anything we can do for you?"

When the man answered him, it was with a deep, powerful voice, saying, "I am the Vongola Juudaime's sun guardian, Sasagawa Ryohei, and I have come with a request from my boss."

There were gasps from all around the room when people found out that the man standing in front of them was one of the guardians of the Vongola, one of the most powerful men in the mafia.

Shun, though, had gasped for an entirely different reason. This man had the same surname as him. And he'd just remembered where he'd seen that white hair before. But…there was no way. This man couldn't be related to him…could he?

"What an honour," said their clan leader, "to be asked for a favour from someone as powerful as the Vongola. Whatever it is, we will fulfill it to the best of our abilities."

Despite having used the word request, it was obvious that the man was instead making a demand, and their leader must have understood this, because he was starting to look anxious.

"Approximately eight years ago, the Vongola Juudaime's and my younger sister's son was kidnapped, and we have just recently found his whereabouts."

Despite his nervousness, their leader looked interested. "That's wonderful news, Sasagawa-san. Is there anything we could help you with? Would you like us to fetch the boy, perhaps?"

The older Sasagawa merely shook his head, saying, "No, there's no need to fetch him, because he's here right this moment."

The gasps were louder this time, and immediately, everyone turned to study their neighbours, wondering if the person next to them could possibly be who the sun guardian was looking for.

Shun just continued to stare at the man, his heart pounding loudly in his chest. He was looking for his little sister's son. He had the same surname as him. His mother would sometimes mention her older brother…

Then, almost as if he had sensed his gaze, Sasagawa turned and looked straight at Shun, the intensity in his eyes making it impossible for Shun to look away.

Then, without looking away from Shun, Sasagawa said the words that turned Shun's world on its head.

"I request the release of one Sawada Shunpei from your ranks."

Shun was confused for a second about the Sawada part, but when the elder Sasagawa just kept staring at him, a small, encouraging smile on his face, his body took over.

Without even knowing what he was doing, Shun got to his feet, and suddenly, everyone was staring at him.

Getting back to his senses, the teen felt a blush grow on his face, and wanted to sit back down, but Sasagawa's smile widened, a fond light dancing in his eyes, and he said in a quiet voice, "You've grown a lot since the last time I saw you, caro."

Shun stared at him for a moment; that phrase sounded so out of place, coming from this man's mouth, but at the same time, it sounded so right.

"Oji-san…?" he blurted out.

And suddenly, Sasagawa wasn't standing in his spot anymore. Rather, he'd strode up to Shun and engulfed him in a bear-hug that felt so familiar, he wondered how he could ever have forgotten it.

"Your father really wanted to come right away, Shun, but he was so busy. He'll be arriving here in Japan tomorrow, though."

There were so many, many questions in Shun's mind when he heard this, but he was so completely in shock, that the first thing to come out of his mouth was, "…I thought otou-san was dead?"

There was a moment of silence with his uncle staring at him with wide eyes, before he quickly ushered Shun out of the building, as if finally noticing all the intrigued faces around them.

Even after they were safe and away from prying eyes, Ryohei didn't say anything, instead directing Shun to an awaiting limo with an odd looking crest on its side.

Shun paused to stare at it for a moment before he obediently stepped in.

It wasn't until the driver had started driving that Ryohei said anything.

"Shun…" he began hesitantly, "…how much do you actually remember about your life before you were six?"

Shun fidgeted a little, wondering how his newfound uncle – he was absolutely sure this man was his uncle; there was no way he could be lying – would react when he found out that Shunpei didn't remember him at all.

In a hesitant voice, he said, "I had an accident when I was six, and lost all my memories from before, so…"

There was a beat of silence before…

"You don't remember **anything**?" asked Ryohei's incredulous voice, and Shun nodded without looking up. "What kind of accident was it? Did you lose your memories because of shock, or because a part of your brain was injured?"

"Injury," replied Shun, not looking up.

"That's great, then!" replied his uncle, sounding suddenly excited, and Shun's head whipped up to look at him.

"How is it great?" he asked in confusion and a bit of anger.

"Because, that means that I can fix it! If it was shock or trauma, that would have been purely mental, but because it's an injury, I can heal the tissue and whatever else was injured, which will probably give your memory back!"

"You can…heal me?" asked Shun, confused but excited at the same time. He'd long ago accepted that he'd never get all his memories back from before he was six, but maybe there was still hope. "How?"

* * *

Kyoko was happily making dinner for herself and her son when she heard the door open and her son called out, "Tadaima!"

Turning down the heat on the stove, Kyoko took off her apron and went out into the hallway to greet her son, only to stop in her tracks at the sight of the person there with him.

There, in her entranceway, stood a man whose presence both terrified and excited her.

"Hello there, Kyoko. Miss me?"

* * *

SkyGem: Okay, so this is going to be a four-shot now. I really was originally going to wrap everything up in this chapter, but there was just way too many stuff happening, and there's still quite a bit left, so I decided to break the chapter up into two parts. I'll see if I can get the next chap up tomorrow, 'kay? For now, just please leave a review and let me know what you thought! Ciao!

P.S. Got season passes to Canada's Wonderland! Going there with my family tomorrow to see the Victoria Day fireworks! Can't wait to ride the Windseeker!


	4. Yoroshiku

SkyGem: Hey guys! So sorry for not updating this yesterday, but I was busy in the morning, and by the time I got back from Wonderland, it was like almost one in the morning, and I was damn tired, so instead of rushing this chapter and having it make barely any sense, I decided to just update it today. I hope you guys like, ne? And extra long (and fluffy) chapter, just for you!

* * *

"Hello there, Kyoko. Miss me?" asked her older brother, that contagious smile on his face, his eyes showing love.

When she saw that smile, she just couldn't take it anymore. Kyoko had spent the past eight years believing that she would never see her brother smile at her like that again. Now that he was, though, she couldn't stop herself from rushing over to throw her arms around him, tears streaming down her face.

"Onii-san," she sobbed, "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Kyoko," he said quietly, returning the hug.

They stayed like that for quite a while, Kyoko enjoying the safety she felt in her brother's arms, Ryohei happy for the moment that he'd gotten to see his beloved younger sister again.

When they finally pulled apart, Kyoko wiped the tears out of her eyes, and asked in a stuttering voice, "What are you doing here?"

"He's here to make sure you don't try and run off with me again before otou-san can come to take me home," said her son, and Kyoko whipped her head around to stare at him.

"…nani?" she asked in a quiet voice, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"Tsunayoshi sent me here to help Shunpei leave the Momokyokai clan and to watch over him until he can come here and reclaim custody of his son."

Kyoko had to choke back a sob when she heard this; she'd known it would happen. She'd known from the moment she began planning this, that one day, he would find her, that one day, her little Shunpei would be taken away from her. But she didn't regret what she'd done. Kyoko knew that she would never have been able to survive the past eight years without Shunpei by her side.

Suddenly, though, Kyoko was snapped out of her grief by the feeling of her son's arms wrapping around her.

"I love you okaa-san," he said, "I love you so, so much, and I'll never stop loving you. But I can't stay anymore. Okaa-san, you haven't realized it yet, have you? That day that you took me from Italy, you didn't only take me away from the only home I'd ever known. You took away my whole family. I didn't only lose my father, but also my uncles and aunts. I lost the chance to grow up with Isa and Mira! I lost the big brother figures that Haruta and Aoi would have been! I almost lost my heritage! I love you, okaa-san, but I can't trust you anymore."

And when she heard this, Kyoko cried even harder than she had been, because she knew it was true. Even though Kyoko didn't like her ex-husband's involvement in the mafia, she couldn't deny the fact that he and his guardians really were like one large, loving family. A large, loving family that she had been a part of, and could have still been a part of if she'd had a stronger heart. But she couldn't stand it; she couldn't stand the terrifying thought that every time Tsuna had stepped out that door, there was a huge chance that when he came back, it wouldn't be on his own two feet, but rather lying in a coffin.

And when she'd imagined Shunpei in his position, she hadn't been able to stand it anymore.

* * *

It took a long time to get Kyoko to calm down, and when she finally did, she went about setting the table and getting ready for dinner as if her whole world hadn't been torn apart.

Shun watched his mother worriedly, wondering if he'd gone too far, but one look at his uncle told him that he'd done the right thing, that she'd needed that in order to be able to get on with her life.

Dinner that night was a quiet affair, and when Shun laid down for sleep that night, he found that he was still wide awake. His mind was buzzing with thoughts and expectations; tomorrow, for the first time in almost a decade, he would be seeing his father again.

When Shun had first regained his memories about what his mother had done, and about his life before he had been cruelly ripped from it, he'd gone into shock. There was no way his mother could have done that.

And when he had finally accepted it, he'd been in a dilemma. What should he do? His uncle was telling him that his father wanted him to move back to Italy with them, but how could he do that? How could he just leave behind his mother and his home in Namimori and how could he ever abandon Kukai like that?

But the more he thought about it, the more tempting the offer had seemed. He could go back to that happy place in his memories; he could see the girls and everyone else again.

Ryohei had explained to him about the Vongola, of course, but he'd also explained that his father would never force him to take over. If Shun wanted to, he didn't have to have anything to do with the mafia.

And somewhere in the middle of thinking all this, Shun fell asleep, and the next time he opened his eyes, it was morning, and it was time for him to get ready for school.

* * *

When Kukai saw Shunpei at school that day, he was surprised at the huge grin that was currently gracing his friend's features – okay, so it was really just an upward tilt of his mouth, but that was a Shunpei equivalent of a huge grin.

The reason Kukai was so surprised was that usually, after a meeting, Shun would mope around for a while.

They didn't get a chance to talk before classes started, but the moment the bell rang for lunch, Kukai went over and plopped down in the seat in front of Shun's.

"What's up?" asked the bubbly teen, grinning from ear to ear as usual.

When Shun looked at him, though, Kukai thought he saw just a flicker of sadness in his friend's eyes before he was able to hide it away.

His smile seemed just a little forced as he said, "I found out that Tsuna-san was my father and that he's coming to Japan today to see me."

There was a moment of silence as Kukai just stared at his friend in complete incomprehension, then he burst out laughing.

"T-that's a good one, S-Shun! How did y-you come up with it?" he gasped out when he was finally able to get his laughter under control.

When his friend just stared back at him with a serious expression, Kukai's eyes widened. "Wait…you're telling the truth?" he asked, dumbfounded.

Shun nodded glumly.

"But that's great! You get to see your father! Isn't that what you've always wanted?" asked Kukai, worried at his friend's seeming lack of excitement.

"But he wants me to go live with him in Italy, Kukai!" exclaimed Shun.

Kukai's mouth made a small 'o' shape as he finally realized what that meant.

"I really want to go back home, you know? I want to see my childhood friends and the rest of my family, but I don't want to leave you!"

Seeing his friend's distress, Kukai swallowed his despair and smiled brightly. Knocking playfully on Shun's forehead, he said, "Hello? Is there anybody in there? Because if there were, it wouldn't take even a second to decide which was the right choice. You need to go, Shun. This is your family we're talking about."

And suddenly, Shunpei's expression was stern. "Kukai," he said warningly, "What have I said about forcing smiles? You know I don't like it when you do that!"

Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, Kukai let his cheery countenance fall away and be replaced by a sad, lonely smile. "I hate how you can always see right through me," he said quietly, trying to blink back tears. The thought of going back to the lonely days before he and Shun became friends terrified Kukai.

"Of course I can, baka," said Shun, a hidden affection in his eyes. "We're best friends, remember?"

Kukai nodded slowly. "Which is why I can't let you stay here in Nami-chuu," he said, determination in his eyes.

Shun looked as if he wanted to argue, but after knowing Kukai for more than half a decade, he knew that his friend wouldn't budge.

Deciding to take up the issue later, Shun spent the rest of lunch filling Kukai in on the events of the previous day.

* * *

Gokudera Hayato leaned against the wall by Nami-chuu's entrance gate grumbling quietly to himself.

The moment everyone had found out that Shunpei had been found, the trip had turned into a family event, and there had been a huge rush in the Vongola HQ before they had left as everyone had rushed to pack for the next few days. The kids had even convinced their parents to let them miss a few days of school.

Because they didn't have a Japan base, they'd had to rent out a bunch of suites for all the guardians and their families in the nearest five-star hotel they could find. Almost immediately after they had arrived, everyone had dispersed.

Since they couldn't convince Hayato to let them come with him, three of the teens – Isa, Haruta, and Aoi – had immediately made their way to the pool, with Giotto and Suzume (Haruta's four-year-old sister and Kyoya's daughter) tagging along behind them.

After warning the kids to look after their younger siblings, the women had decided to have a girls' day out and do some shopping. Chrome, though, two months pregnant with her and Mukuro's second son (Aoi's younger brother), had decided to stay at home, with Mukuro keeping her company.

Takeshi and his daughter, Mira, had decided to take a visit to TakeSushi to see Tsuyoshi.

Lambo had gone to some jewelry store to find an engagement ring for his soon-to-be fiancée.

Kyoya had tagged along with Hayato just so he could check out his precious school.

And Tsuna had apparently gone to some orphanage on the edge of town to sign adoption papers.

And now, almost three hours later, Hayato was left waiting for the damn school bell to ring so that he could see Shunpei again and bring him to the hotel he and the rest were staying at.

As Hayato was thinking all this, though, the bell finally rang, and the silveret thanked the good Lord that his wait was finally over.

Only minutes later, students began to file out of the building; some of them seemed to be terrified of something, and Hayato was quite perplexed until he remembered the demon ex-prefect that was terrorizing the hallways.

Chuckling quietly to himself, the bomber continued to scan the crowd for his charge, and was absolutely ecstatic when he caught sight of a head of fluffy brown hair that he would recognize anywhere.

"SHUNPEI!" he shouted excitedly, and all heads in a half-mile radius turned to look in his direction.

Even at the age of thirty-eight, the bomber was good-looking enough to have all the female students swooning at the mere sight of him.

When Shunpei saw him, at first, the teen couldn't believe his eyes; was that really who he thought it was?

Taking in the neat ponytail of pretty silver hair, the bright green eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses, and the long-sleeved shirt and heavy pants that the man was wearing, Shunpei let an exasperated smile grace his face.

Pulling Kukai along behind him, he pretty much ran up to the explosives expert and threw his arms around the man in a hug.

"Long time no see, Hayato-ji-san. Still carrying enough explosives to sink the country of Japan?" he asked cheekily.

Hayato hugged him back, placing a kiss on the boy's forehead and saying matter-of-factly, "Actually, it's been upgraded to Australia now."

Kukai, watching quietly from a few paces away, was scared to realize that he wasn't even really sure whether or not they were joking.

Shunpei, though, just let out a laugh and pulled away, saying, "I see. Oh, and this is my best friend, Kaoru Kukai!"

Hayato took in the boy's relatively short stature, cheerful grey eyes, and his short, extremely messy, dark brown hair. In a few ways, he kind of reminded Hayato of his best friend when he was younger, even if there weren't that many similarities in appearance between him and Tsuna.

"So this is my new nephew…" he mumbled quietly to himself.

"Nani?" asked Shun, confused. He'd heard the end of the statement, but couldn't figure out what that had to do with the situation in hand.

"Hm?" asked Hayato, seemingly distracted for a moment before saying, "Don't worry, it's nothing important. Anyways, why don't we go back to the hotel and see the rest of the family, ne? Tsuna had some last minute business to take care of, but we'll see him in about an hour."

"T-the rest of the family?" asked Shunpei. Even though it looked like he was taking things in stride, the teen was actually quite flustered. Knowing Hayato ever since he was born had been the reason that it had been so easy for Shun to just go up to the man and hug him, but he was starting to get really nervous now.

"That's right," said Hayato, looking a little frustrated. "When they found out that you were in Japan, everyone made a huge deal about it. The guardians immediately dropped whatever they were doing to come, my wife and the others weren't too busy so they easily cleared their schedules as well, and the kids, somehow or another, were able to convince their moms to let them come."

Kukai stared at Hayato in amazement, not quite able to believe that all these people were so willing to go out of their way to come and see Shunpei; his best friend was so lucky. It made Kukai wonder how his family would have reacted if he were in that situation and they were still alive.

He was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, though, when his cell phone began ringing and he quickly picked it up.

When he was done talking, Shun was staring at him curiously, and he offered an apologetic smile.

"That was the director of the orphanage. She wants to talk to me about something important."

* * *

When Kukai arrived in the director's office, the first thing he noticed was that there was already a man in there.

The first thought to come into his mind was that he was in some kind of trouble, but he didn't remember doing anything bad lately, and his marks were relatively good, so that couldn't be the reason.

The second thought was that maybe he was getting adopted. That thought was also quickly pushed away because he was already fourteen, and there were few people that wanted to adopt teenagers; most went for children instead.

"Oh, there you are, Kukai-kun!" said the director, and the man perked up.

As he turned around, Kukai was shocked speechless when he saw the man's face; he looked like Shun!

When their eyes met, the corners of the man's mouth tipped upwards into a kind smile and he said, "Ohayou, Kukai-kun. My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi and I'm-"

"Shun's father…" whispered Kukai, and the director perked up this time; obviously, she hadn't known this particular piece of information.

Sawada-san just nodded, the smile still on his face.

"But…what are you doing here? Shun-kun went to the hotel with-"

"I know," said Sawada-san quickly. "I'm actually here for you, Kukai-kun."

"For…me?" asked Kukai, his brain swimming with confusion. "…why?"

"I assume Shunpei told you about the Vongola?" asked Sawada-san, seemingly changing the topic, and Kukai nodded in response to the question; Shun had told him** everything** during lunch. "I see," said Sawada-san in that mysterious way that adults spoke in sometimes, as if he knew more than even Kukai did. "And what do you think?"

Now this confused Kukai even more; what did he care what Kukai thought about the way he ran his family?

Nevertheless, Kukai responded honestly, saying, "I think you're the best father Shun could have ever hoped for and I'm glad he'll be going to Italy with you."

When he said this, the smile on Sawada-san's face grew even wider. Kukai remembered comparing his best friend's smile to his mothers before, but now he saw that that wasn't completely accurate. It was now obvious who he'd gotten it from.

"Then I have just one more question to ask you," said Sawada-san, and Kukai felt his stomach twisting itself into knots.

"H-hai?" asked the teenager expectantly, somehow knowing that his answer to this next question could possibly be the most important one he gave in his entire life.

"How would you feel about joining our family as my adopted son?"

* * *

Shun stared up at the magnificent hotel with wide eyes; he remembered that their family had always been rich, but this was completely unbelievable.

"Come on," said Hayato, walking past him. "The kids should have gotten bored with the pool right about now. They'll be ecstatic to see you."

And true to his words, the moment the two had stepped onto the floor that the family was staying on, there was a shout of, "THERE THEY ARE!"

Startled, Shun turned to look in the direction of the shout but was immediately tackled to the ground by two little balls of energy.

Rubbing his head where he had hit it on the ground, he tried to sit up, and that was when he got a good look at the cute little three-year-old that was lying on his chest, stars visible in the innocent brown eyes staring excitedly up at him.

The kid's messy blond hair, and the colour of his eyes (the exact shade of Shun's) left no doubt in the boy's mind on who this was.

"H-hey," he stuttered out, trying to get air back in his lungs. "You're Giotto, aren't you?"

The little blond looked so happy that Shun had recognized him that he looked about ready to explode as he frantically nodded his head in greatly exaggerated motions.

When he didn't say anything, Shun was a little worried, but his attention was immediately claimed by the other fluffy little thing that had crashed into him.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about him! He's always that quiet!" said a girl with slightly chubby, pomegranate red cheeks, stormy grey eyes, and waist length hair tied up in pigtails. "I'm Suzume, by the way, and I just turned four!"

"You're pretty articulate for a four-year-old," observed Shun.

Suzume just giggled at this, saying in a proud voice, "I'm Hibari Kyoya's daughter!"

"Ah," said Shunpei, "Haruta's little sister. That explains so much."

Suddenly, hysteric giggling started up a few feet away from them, and Shun looked up to see four teens about his age standing there. The ones that were giggling were a tall, tomboy-ish looking girl with short, messy black hair in a pixie cut and warm brown eyes, and a thirteen-year-old girl with waist-length silver hair tied in a neat braid down her back and pretty green eyes.

Standing beside these two girls was a boy that was even taller than the black haired girl and who also had black hair, except that his eyes were steel grey, just like his father's…in fact, he was an almost exact clone of his father, except he apparently had the ability to show emotion, if his expression of annoyance was anything to go by. Another rather tall boy was just chuckling quietly to himself. This boy had purplish-blue hair styled in a way reminiscent of a pineapple and he had beautiful, deep blue eyes that made you think of the ocean.

"Thanks a lot, Shun," said the annoyed-looking boy, Haruta.

Shun, finding it easier than he thought to fall back into habit, smiled cheekily, saying, "I try my best."

This only cause the girls to laugh even harder, and the other boy's, Aoi's, chuckling morphed into full-on laughter.

Haruta just glared at them, but it was obvious his heart wasn't in it.

After the laughter had died away, there was a somewhat awkward silence before the two girls broke it by tackling Shun in a hug that was just as enthusiastic, if not even more so than the kids'.

"We missed you so much, Shunpei!" wailed Isa, clinging tightly to his torso, which Giotto had vacated just moments before she had attacked Shun.

"It's so good to have you back," agreed Mira, her arms wrapped around Shun's neck, cradling his head gently against her relatively flat chest. The gesture was almost motherly, but Shun supposed he shouldn't really be all that surprised; Mira had always been the most mature of all of them, even if the boys were both at least three years older than her.

"I'm glad to see that you didn't remain as short as you had been," teased Aoi, ruffling Shun's hair patronizingly.

"Looks like our family can be complete again," said Haruta, a blush on his cheeks as he looked anywhere but at Shun, who had a soft smile on his face.

Right about now, the teen was feeling immensely relieved. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but the fact that the others really hadn't changed all that much really took a load off his shoulders; they were still the same people he had known since he was younger; they were still his beloved siblings.

"Oi, guys, let's hurry up and get in one of the suits," ordered Hayato, whose presence Shun was embarrassed to realize that he'd forgotten.

Judging from Isa's shocked expression, though, he wasn't the only one.

Feeling a small hand tugging at his own, he looked down to see Giotto, who looked to be trying his hardest to pull him up to his feet.

"Up!" he said the moment he saw Shun's gaze on him, and Shun smiled indulgently, deciding to play along for the moment.

* * *

When Tsuna arrived at the hotel almost an hour later, he had a suddenly very shy Kukai trailing quietly after him, his gaze cast downward to try and hide the redness that was still in his cheeks. The teen still couldn't believe that he wasn't dreaming and expected to open his eyes any minute now and find that he had fallen asleep in class or something.

Who in their wildest dreams could ever have imagined that he, Kukai, would actually be adopted! And by Shun's father no less! It was a dream come true!

Kukai was so caught up in staring at his shoes that he didn't even notice that his new f-father (it was still hard for him to even think the word) had stopped a few steps into the lobby until he had almost bumped into the kind brunet.

"Saw- I-I mean, o-otou-san?" stuttered out Kukai, confused.

Tsuna, though, seemed not to have heard him; he was staring at something.

Following his gaze, Kukai immediately understood as he saw a bunch of kids lounging on some of the sofas that were decorating the lobby. Tsuna's eyes were focused on one in particular; Shunpei.

It didn't take long for one of the kids to notice them; a small blond that looked a lot like both Shunpei and Tsuna smiled toothily when he saw them enter and jumped up from where he had been sitting on his brother's lap.

"Daddy!" he shrieked in an overjoyed voice as he tackled Tsuna's legs, smiling happily up at him.

"Hello, bambino," said Tsuna in a loving voice, bending down to place a peck on his youngest son's cheek and give him a quick hug.

"Otou…san?" said an unsure voice, cutting the adorable scene short, and Tsuna slowly looked up and into the eyes of the son he hadn't seen in such a long, long time.

He felt a small pang of sadness at how much his little Shunpei had grown since he'd last seen him, but that sadness was completely overpowered by the pride he felt at what a magnificent boy Shunpei had become and the unbelievable joy of seeing him again.

Gently unwrapping Giotto's arms from around his legs, Tsuna took two powerful steps forward to where his son was now standing and enveloped him in a fiercely protective hug.

"Shunpei," he choked out, feeling tears prickling at the corners of his eyes, not able to say anything more as he buried his face in his son's hair.

It didn't matter, though, that he didn't say anything else, because Shunpei had gotten the message loud and clear.

"I missed you too, dad," he said, returning the hug just as fiercely. It felt good to have his father's powerful arms around him again; it gave him a sense of safety he really hadn't felt in years.

They stayed in that position for quite a while without anyone daring to interrupt them before Tsuna finally pulled away, a gentle smile on his face.

"You've really grown a lot, Shunpei," said Tsuna with pride obvious in his voice.

"And you still look like a twenty-five-year-old," said Shun with a laugh. "Way too young to have a son in junior high."

"You mean sons," corrected his father immediately, and Shunpei looked at him in confusion.

A second later, though, his eyes had widened and his jaw fell to the floor (metaphorically) as his best friend stepped up to him with a shy grin on his face.

"My name is Sawada Kukai," he said in a barely audible voice, holding his hand out to shake. "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

_**The End**_

* * *

SkyGem: And cut! That's it for this story! Please do leave one more review and tell me what you thought, ne? Oh, and a lot of you have been asking who [Insert guardian's name here]'s wife is. Well, I'm just gonna leave that up to your imagination, because that's not a really important element to the story, and I know I have many different shippers among my readers, so I'm not going to get in the middle of this. The only named pairing I have in here is 6996 and that's just because I really can't see it going any other way, what with their past and all. Other than that, you guys choose who you want them to have ended up with. Anyways, I really appreciate all the reviews, favourites and alerts this story has gotten and I look forward to your continued support! If you haven't already, please do check out some of my other stories if you have the time!

P.S. I almost forgot. Some of you will be confused/curious who is whose kid, who is blood related, or who's pregnant, so here's a list to help it all make sense:

-Tsuna's son Shunpei (14) is from his first marriage, and his second son Giotto (3) is from his second marriage. Kukai (14) is his adopted son.  
-Ryohei's wife is pregnant for the first time with a pair of twins, both male.  
-Lambo isn't a father yet, but he's about to propose to his girlfriend.  
-Mukuro and Chrome are married and have a teenage son, Aoi (17), and Chrome is two months pregnant with her second son.  
-Hayato's daughter is Isa (13).  
-Takeshi's daughter is Mira (14).  
-Kyoya's son is Haruta (17) and his daughter is Suzume (4).


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